In honor of Kevin’s birthday, the Speakers hosted the 2nd period series, but traveled for the celebration. The Speakers further added to the celebration by totaling just ten hits … in the entire series!
Game 1 – Didi Gregorius can’t find the handle on Anthony Rendon’s grounder in the bottom of the 1st. David Dahl doubles with Rendon pulling up at 3rd. Javy Baez grounds out to plate the game’s first run … and only run!
Carlos Martinez fires a CG one-hitter, hitting Austin Barnes and walking 2. The no-no remained intact until Didi’s triple with 2 outs in the 7th. Carlos walks Matt Carpenter, but stops Ben Zobrist’s 7 to snuff out the threat.
The Speakers never could add on, getting just 2 more base runners into scoring position and collecting a total of 3 hits. (With Dylan Floro recording the only hit turned back with 2 away in the 6th and Whit Merrifield at 2nd, that means the Speakers rolled only 4 hit numbers in 8 innings.)
Martinez improves to 2-0. Morton suffers the tough loss.
Game 2 – Reynoldo Lopez allows more runs in the first 2 innings (8) than the Speakers score in the series (6). Lopez and friends hold the Stars, but will never, ever come back from 8 down.
Eugenio Suarez homers (11-1) to begin the game. He also makes the last out in the 2nd … and the 3rd. Matt Kemp and Gregorius go deep in the 2nd.
Kemp and Inciarte provide 6 of the Stars’ 15 hits. The Speakers sputter to score 2 with 2 outs in the 9th, but fall, 8-5. Lopez can’t repeat his stellar performance against The Plague and falls to 2-3 with a 5.68 ERA.
Game 3 – Another no-hitter alert … except this one is official! Jacob deGrom walks Anthony Rizzo to start the bottom of the 2nd. That’s the Speakers’ only base runner, never advancing a base.
The Speakers did roll 8 hits, but never rolled better than a 55 against the Grade 20 right hander. If anyone would ever get no-hit in OOTL, it would be the Speakers.
Miles Mikolas surrenders just 5 hits, but Joc Pederson leaves the yard in the 6th as the Stars win, 2-0. Mikolas is now 4-4 with a 2.97 ERA.
The Stars are now 5-1 against the Speakers this season. Happy Birthday, Kevin!
Manager Brian